RICHMOND, Va. – Stephen McCarthy must have felt like he just came out of the ringer following Wednesday’s 3-2 fourth-round U.S. Open Cup win over the Richmond Kickers.

With temperature at kickoff a sultry 93 degrees, and nearly eight months separating him from his last appearance during a meaningful match, the Revolution centerback was visibly drained from his 77-minute performance at City Stadium.

“It felt awesome for like the first 10 minutes, and then I said, ‘Oh, I’m not game fit at all.’” McCarthy said, with a subtle chuckle. “It’s tough - really tough - to stay game fit without (playing) games.”